Spring insert for spring assemblies



20, 0- w. w. GLEASON 2,211,925

SPRING INSERT FOR SPRING ASSEMBLIES Filed NOV. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inlfenfa I ig/[2am mar w. W. GLEASON SPRING INSERT FOR SPRING ASSEMBLIES Filed Nov. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet? Patented Aug. 20, 1940 uNrreo ester 7 2,211,925 SPRING INSERT FOR sriarNG Assumes William W. Gleason, Qhicage, 111., assignor to Nachman Springfilled Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of lllinois Application November 28, 1938, Serial No. 242,659

4 Claims. (Cl. 5-2fi0) mounted in place by the latter at points in the peripheral edge portions of spring assemblies for mattresses before incorporation of the latter into such mattresses to permanently stiffen said selected peripheral edge portions.

The main object of the invention is to provide a very cheap, highly resilient reinforcing spring of the type specified, which Will not buckle out of the vertical plane of the peripheral edge por tion of the spring assembly under the influence of load, which is easily mounted in place by hand and is equipped with formations adapted to cooperate with means on the spring assembly to retain it permanently in place on the latter.

A suitable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation of a spring assembly of a type adapted to be and which'is equipped with a reinforcing device constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical, transverse sectional.

View taken on the line l i of Fig. 2.

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary detail side elevations illustrating the device of this invention in modified embodiments for use in spring assemblies of types other than shown in Figs. 1 to 4;.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the device of this invention corresponding with that shown in Fig. 5.

The device of the present invention consists of a spring I of fiat, highly resilient and relatively thin metal, having substantially the shape of the capital letter M. The parallel arms 2.0f the device are corrugated or of sinuous contour along their outer end portions as at 3, the corrugation thereof being of a depth or degree to cause the depth of saidportions of said arms between the convex portion'of the bends thereof to be greater than the depth of the space intended for the reception of said arms. The ridges of said corrugations are spaced from each other to correspond substantially with the spacing apart of the coils of the helical tie wires 4 disposedabout the flat wire border frame of a spring assembly of a type substantially as described and claimed in Patent NO. 2,124,695, dated July 26, 1938.

The I-shaped portion of the device presents an arcuate or U-shaped apex portion 5 and the meeting points 5 of the said V-shaped middle portion with the arms 2 are also arcuate. The

length of the said arms 2 is such that their teri minal end portions project beyond the middle point of the apex portion 5.

The arcuate formations 5 and B distribute stresses on the device under the influence of load 'overa greater length of the strip of. which the ginal springs of said group being overlapped generally upon the opposed faces of the border frames :1 and being secured to the'latter by means of the helical tie wires 4. The said borderframes l extend substantially diametrically of the tie wires 4 so that free spaces which are of substantially semi-cylindrical form are defined by the latter and the frames 1 into which the said j arms 2 may be inserted readily by hand.

The depth of the last-mentioned spaces may be increased due to some degree of play orfree-;

dom of movement of the wires 4 relatively to the frames 1. v

Thelength of the arms 2 of the device is preferably such that when an arcuate portion 6 of the device is disposed closely adjacent the terminal coil of one spring encircled by the tie wire l, the corrugated end portion 3 of the arm 2 the side edge portions thereof to relieve the marginal springs along the said side edges from overload due to the habit of many persons to sit upon the side edge portions of beds and'thus causing breakage of the few springs required to carry the resulting overload.

The inner end portions of the arms 2 of the device lie in direct contact with the flat faces of the frames 1 and thus the load on the device is imparted thereto in a vertical plane which in itself serves to prevent buckling of the device to project outwardly or inwardly from its normal position when under pressure, the flat wire of which the device is made also serving to render it highly resistant to such buckling.

While the said device is particularly designed and intended for incorporation into spring assemblies of the type shown, it is also well adapted for incorporation into spring assemblies of other types equipped with helical peripheral tie wires of suificient diameter to accommodate the arms 2. In other types of assemblies equipped with border frames of any kind the arms 2 may be secured to the border frames in any suitable manner.

In Figs. 5 and 6 there are shown fragmentary portions of a spring assembly similar to that illustrated in Patent No. 1,934,153, wherein the marginal springs along one edge of the assembly are spaced far apart and along another edge are spaced less distantly from each other, said assembly being devoid of any other border element or elements than helical tie wires.

In the instance illustrated in Fig. 5, the springs H] are spaced appreciably f om each other and are connected with each other along the outermost portions of their terminal coils by a helical tie wire I l. The M-shaped fiat spring I2 has side arms l3 which correspond in length substantially with the length of space between the most closely opposed portions of the terminal coils of the springs H) so that said arms are engaged only with the tie wire I I, said arms being more deeply corrugated preferably throughout their lengths than the similar arms of Figs. 1 to l, the depth of said corrugations being greater than the inner diameter of the tie wire I! and having their convex ridges spaced from each other twice the distance between successive coils of the tie wire H as shown, so that said ridges engage in open spaces in said tie wire.

This construction is advantageous in that the springs l2 mayv have a load carrying capacity definitely proportioned to that of the springs ll] between which it is inserted.

In the structiue of Fig. 6 the springs I 4 are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of their terminal coils, the latter being also connected with each other by a tie wire l5 corresponding with the tie wire ll of Fig. 5.

The M-shaped flat spring l8 shown in Fig. 6 has its arms ll equipped with shallow corrugations along their end portions and with a deeper corrugation along its middle portion, the said end portions overlapping portions of the terminal coils of the springs E i lying within the tie wire l5 and the middle corrugation engaged in an open space between successive coils of the tie wire as do also convex portions of the first-named corrugations.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for reinforcing the periphery of a spring assembly equipped with peripheral helical border devices comprising a substantially M- shaped spring composed of flat strip metal of a width less than the diameter of said helical border devices, the side arms of said member being partly sinuous and presenting convex faces adapted to project into spaces between coils of said border devices for yieldingly and firmly securing said device in place following the manual insertion of said arms into said border devices.

2. A device for reinforcing the periphery of a spring assembly equipped with peripheral helical border devices comprising a substantially M- shaped spring composed of flat strip metal of a width less than the diameter of said helical border devices, the side arms of said member being partly sinuous and presenting convex faces adapted to project into spaces between coils of said border devices for yieldingly and firmly securing said device in place following the manual insertion of said arms into said border devices, said convex portions of opposite faces of said arms being spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to the spaces between successive coils of said border devices.

3. In a spring assembly for upholstery having border frames composed of flat stock having the flat faces thereof disposed horizontally and having its marginal conventional upholstery springs secured to said border frames by means of helical tie wires encircling said border-frames and portions of said marginal springs, a series of detachable fiat wire springs having free terminal arms and loop portions therebetween and of a depth substantially equal to the distance between the upper and lower border frames of said spring assembly, said springs composed of fiat wire of a width no greater than that of the strips of which said border frames are composed, said springs each having its normally free arms disposed with their outer, faces in contact with opposed faces of said border frames within said helical tie wires and engaged with the latter.

4. In a spring assembly for upholstery having border frames composed of flat stock having the flat faces thereof disposed horizontally and having its marginal conventional upholstery springs u secured to said border frames by means of helical tie wires encircling said border-frames and portions of said marginal springs, a series of detachable flat wire springs having free terminal arms and loop portions therebetween and of a depth substantially equal to the distance between the upper and lower border frames of said spring assembly, said springs composed of flat wire of a width no greater than that of the strips of which said border frames are composed, said springs each having its normally free arms disposed with their outer faces in contact with opposed faces of said border frames within said helical tie wires and engaged with the latter, said normally free arms of said springs equipped with formations adapted to engage coils of said helical tie wires for retaining said springs in contact over their widths with said border frames and yieldingly against detachment.

WILLIAM W. GLEASON. 

